Guest Blogger: Rep. Trent Franks on Parental Choice in Education

Rep. Trent Franks / April 29, 2011

Late last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization v. Winn, overturning the notoriously biased Ninth District Court’s decision against the case and throwing out the challenge to Arizona’s tuition tax credit legislation. The Supreme Court’s ruling marks the culmination of 14 years of work . I authored the bill in 1995 and it passed in the Arizona State Legislature in 1997.  It is my prayer that it will prove, in the long run, to be not only a victory for children and parents in Arizona, but a victory for children, parents, and individual liberty nationwide.

In short, the Arizona Tuition Tax Credit program gives children the opportunity to acquire the best education possible, by providing scholarships for the school of their parent’s choice. The scholarships are funded by individuals who contribute to eligible non-profit “school tuition organizations” (which must use at least 90% of the contributions to fund scholarships).

As a result of their contribution (up to $500 for an individual, or $1,000 for a couple filing jointly), the individuals contributing receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, and a parent who might not otherwise be able to afford the best possible education for their child is unhindered by financial restrictions to choose the school that is best for their child, instead of having the government arbitrarily choose their child’s school based on what ZIP code they happen to call home. (more…)